Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
August,  1919-  ■* 
Pharmacy  and  Publicity. 
527 
have  been  found  to  have  lost  their  activity  when  kept  for  five  and 
one  half  years.  The  powder  should  be  kept  in  tightly  closed  con- 
tainers, as  the  powdered  flowers,  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  in  a 
room  for  136  weeks,  were  found  to  have  lost  considerable  of  their 
value.  Exposure  to  weather  for  21  weeks  also  greatly  reduced  their 
efficiency.    High  temperatures  have  been  found  to  be  deleterious, 
PHARMACY  AND  PUBLICITY.1 
By  E.  G.  Eberle,  Ph.M., 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 
No  one  doubts  that  publicity  has  educational  value  and  shapes 
public  opinion.  Advertisements  conveying  messages  impress  the 
minds  of  individuals,  editorials  shape  the  thoughts  of  citizens,  and 
important  and  sensational  news  items  interest  the  readers.  The  im- 
portance of  publicity  as  an  influential  factor  in  shaping  public  opin- 
ion can  hardly  be  overestimated. 
The  lasting  impression  or  effect  of  publicity  depends  upon  the 
value  of  that  to  which  publicity  is  given  in  the  affairs  of  men  and 
nations,  and  the  accuracy  or  truthfulness  of  the  statements.  But 
no  matter  how  untruthful  the  latter  may  be,  the  average  citizen  does 
not  investigate  but  accepts  as  truth  that  which  appears  in  print. 
Whether  right  or  wrong,  the  public  estimate  of  occurrences,  of  aims 
and  purposes,  of  government,  business  and  professions,  does  not 
always  conform  to  facts.  The  absence  of  proper  conception  or  exact 
knowledge  leads  to  acts  which  do  injury  and  develop  a  prejudiced 
estimate. 
Druggists  are  engaged  in  a  semi-professional  business  which  has 
many  ramifications  and  its  activities  come  into  contact  with  trades 
and  professions.  The  former  use  methods  of  competition,  while  the 
latter,  not  infrequently,  hold  themselves  aloof  from  the  more  inti- 
mate relations  which  should  exist. 
Not  only  the  complexity  of  the  drug  business,  but  the  fact  that 
the  dispensing  of  medicines  must  be  regulated,  stimulates  national 
and  state  legislators'  legislative  propensities.  The  enacted  laws  are 
not  infrequently  framed  on  erroneous  views  or  misinformation. 
1  Read  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation, 1919. 
